Centuries Of Hate Uchiha Brothers
by Senya20
Summary: When fate plays his game with two, once lovingly brothers. They spent centuries and centuries hunting each other. What will happen to the two immortal brothers. The brother who pretended to be evil, and the brother who pretended to be good. This fiction is inspired by, h e Vampire Dairies.
1. Back home

_September 4_

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Here I am at 5:30 in the morning, awake and scared. I keep telling myself it's just that I'm all messed up from the time difference between Italy and here. But that doesn't explain why I feel so scared. So lost._

 _The day before yesterday, while Obaa-san Guren, Amera and I were driving back from the airport, I had such a weird feeling, when we turned onto our street. I suddenly thought, 'Mom and Dad are waiting for us at home, I bet they'll be on the front porch or on the living room looking out the window. They must have missed us so much'._

 _I know. That sounds totally crazy. But even when I saw the house, and the front porch, I still felt that way. I ran up the steps and knocked with the knocker. And when Obaa-san Guren unlocked the door, I burst inside and just stood in the hallway, listening, excepting to hear Mom coming down the stairs or Dad calling from the library._ _Just then Obaa-san Guren let a suitcase crash on the floor behind me and sighed a huge sigh and said, "We're home."_

 _Home. I'm home. Why does that sound like a lie?_

 _I was born here in Konohagakure. I've always lived in this house, always._

 _But right now, everything looks strange to me, as if I don't belong here. It's me that's out of space. And the worst feeling is that I feel there's somewhere I do belong, but I just can't find it._

 _I was too tired yesterday to go to Orientation. Hinata picked up my schedule for me. But I didn't feel like talking to her on the phone. Obaa-san Guren told everyone who called that I had jet leg and was sleeping._

 _I've got to see the crowd today, though. We're supposed to meet in the parking lot before school. Is that why I'm scared?_

 _Am I frightened of them?_

Shiroi Hoga stopped writing. She stared at the last line she had written and then shook her head, pen hovering over the small book with the blue velvet cover.

It was all completely ridiculous. Since when had she, Shiroi Hoga, been scared of meeting people? Since when had she been scared of _anything?_

She stood up and angrily thrust her arms into a red silk kimono. She didn't even glance at the elaborate Victorian mirror above the Cherrywood dresser; she knew what she'd see. Shiroi Hoga, cool and brunette and slender, the high school senior, the girl every boy wanted and every girl wanted to be.

She got dressed, the mirror showed a girl with a secret smile. Her earlier fears had melted away, forgotten.

"Shiroi!" Where are you? You're going to be late for school!" The voice drifted faintly up from below. She grabbed her backpack and went downstairs.

In the kitchen, four-year-old Amera was eating her cereal at the kitchen table, and Obaa-san Guren was burning something on the stove. Obaa-san Guren was the sort of woman who always looked vaguely flustered; she had a thin, mild face and light brown hair pushed back untidily. Shiroi landed a peck on her cheek. "Good morning. Sorry I don't have time for breakfast."

"But, Shiroi, you can't go off without eating, you need protein-"

"I'll get a doughnut before school", Said Shiroi briskly, she dropped a kiss on Amera's head and turned to go.

"But, Shiroi-"

"And I'll probably go home with Hinata or Sakura so don't wait for dinner. Bye!"

"Shiroi-"

Shiroi was already at the front door. She closed it behind her, cutting off Obaa-san Guren's distant protests.

She stopped walking suddenly in the middle of the pavement. All the bad feelings of the morning rushed over her again. The anxiety, the fear. And the certainty that something terrible was about to happen.

The Hoga district was deserted. The houses looked as if they were empty of people, but full of strange watching things.

That was it; something was watching her. The sky overhead was not blue, but milky and opaque, like a giant bowl turned upside down. The air was stifling, and Shiroi felt sure that there were eyes on her.

She caught sight of something dark in the branches of the old quince tree in front of the house.

It was a crow, sitting as still as the yellow-tinged leaves around it. And it was the thing watching her.

She tried to tell herself that this was ridiculous, but somehow she _knew._ It was the biggest crow she had ever seen, plump and sleek, with rainbows shinning in its black feathers. She could see every detail of it clearly: the greedy dark claws, the sharp beak, the single glittering black eye.

It was so motionless that it might have been a wax model of a bird sitting there. But as she stared at it, Shiroi felt herself flush slowly, heat coming in waves up her throat and cheeks. Because it was. Looking at her. Looking the way boys looked at her when she wore a bathing suit or a sheer blouse. As if it was undressing her with these eyes.

Before she realized what she was doing. She had dropped her backpack and picked up a stone from beside the driveway. "Get out of here!" she said and heard the shaking anger in her voice. "Go on! Get _away!"_ With the last word, she threw the stone.

There was an explosion of leaves, but the crow soared up unharmed. Its wings were huge. Shiroi crouched, suddenly panicked as if flapped directly over her head, the wind of its wings ruffling her brown hair.

But it swooped up again and circled a black silhouette against the paper-white sky. Then, with another harsh croak, it wheeled away toward the woods.

Shiroi straightened up slowly, and then glanced around, self-conscious. She couldn't believe what she had just done. But now that the bird was gone, the sky felt ordinary again. A little wind made the leaves flutter, and Shiroi took a deep breath.

How could she have been so silly? This a beautiful day, full of promise and nothing was going to happen.

Nothing was going to happen. ..Except that she was going to be late for school.

Without a backward glance is the quince tree, she began walking as quickly as she could down the street.

The crow crashed through the top of the massive oak, and Sasuke's head jerked up reflexively. When he saw it was only a bird, he relaxed.

His eyes dropped to the limp white form in his hands, and he felt his face twist in regret. He hadn't meant to kill it. He would have hunted something larger than a rabbit if he'd known how hungry he was.

He stood beneath the ancient oak tree, sun-light filtering down onto his silk, spiky hair. In jeans and a T-shirt, Sasuke Uchiha looked exactly like a normal high school student.

He wasn't.

Deep in the woods, where no one would see him, he'd come to feed. Now he licked his gums and lips painstakingly, to make sure there was no stain on them. He didn't want to take any chances. This masquerade was going to be hard enough to pull off as it was.

He was tired of living in the shadows; he was tired of the darkness, and of the things lived in it. Most of all, he was tired of being alone, even though he thought again if it was a good idea.

Sasuke appreciated respect for the past. He thought he perhaps...just perhaps...he might find a place among them.

He slapped his thoughts away. He'd renounced the darkness; he'd left the shadows behind him. He was blotting all those long years out and starting new from today.

As he slung his jacket over his shoulder, he noticed the crow that had disturbed him earlier. It was still on the oak tree, and it was watching him. There was a wrong-ness about it.

He started to send a probing thought toward it, to examine the bird, and stopped himself. _'Remember your promise'_ , he thought, _you don't use the Powers unless it is absolutely necessary._

Not unless there is no other choice.

Moving almost silently among the dead leaves and dry twigs, he made his wat toward the edge of the woods. His car was parked there. He glanced back, once, and saw that the crow had left the branches and dropped down on the rabbit.

There was something sinister in the way it spread its wings over the limp white body. Sasuke's throat tightened, and he almost strode back to chase the bird away. Still, it had as much right to eat as he fox did, he told himself. As much right as he did. If he encountered the bird again, he'd look into his mind, he decided. Just now, he tore his eyes from the sight of it and hurries through the woods, jaw set. He didn't want to be late arriving at Hidden Leaf High school.


	2. The new Uchiha

Shiroi was surrounded the instant she stepped into the high school parking lot. Everyone was there, the whole crowd she hadn't seen since late June, plus four or five hangers-on who hoped to gain popularity by association. One by one she accepted the welcoming hugs of her own group.

Karin had grown at least an inch and was slicker and more like a _Vogue_ model than ever. She greeted Shiroi coolly and stepped back again with her pinkish/red eyes narrowed like a cat's so, she abandoned her glasses and used contact lenses.

Sakura hadn't grown at all, and her pink hair barely came up to Shiroi's chin as she flung her arms around Shiroi.

Shiroi moved on. "Hinata". You haven't changed at all." This hug was equally warm on both sides. She had missed Hinata more than anyone. Shiroi thought, looking at the girl. Hinata never wore make-up; but then, with perfect skin, heavy black lashes, and her lavender eyes, she didn't need any.

"Just a minute; that reminds me," Sakura interjected, snatching one of Shiroi's hands, "Guess what I learned from my cousin this summer?" Before anyone could speak, she informed them triumphantly: "Palm reading!"

There were groans, and some laughter.

"Laugh while you can", said Sakura, not at all disturbed. "My cousin told me I'm psychic. Now, let me see..." She peered into Shiroi's palm.

"Hurry up or we're going to be late." Said Ino a bit impatient.

"Alright, alright." Now, this is your life line- or is it your heart line? In the crowd, someone snickered. "Shhh! Quiet; I'm reaching to the void. I see...I see..." All of a sudden, Sakura's face went blank, as if she was startled; her neon green eyes widened, but no longer seemed to be staring at Shiroi's hand. It was as if she was looking through it- at something frightening.

"You will meet a tall, dark stranger", Hinata murmured from behind her. There was a flurry of giggles.

"Dark, yes, and a stranger...fare away from home." Sakura's voice was hushed and faraway. She continued, "He _was_ once..."

Sakura dropped Shiroi's hand, almost flinging it away, "I don't want to see anymore".

"Okay, show's over. Let's go?" Ino told the others sensing the weird annoying vibes which suddenly flew in the air.

The girls started walking toward the school building, but the roar of a finely tuned motor stopped them all on their tracks.

"Well, now," Karin said, staring. "Quit a car".

"Quite a Porche", Hinata corrected dryly.

The sleek black 911 Turbo purred through the parking lot, searching for a place, moving as lazily as a panther stalking its prey.

When the car came to a stop, the door opened, and they glimpsed at the driver.

"Oh, my God", Karin whispered.

"You can say that again", breathed Sakura.

From where she stood, Shiroi could see he had a lean, muscled body. Dark jeans, tight T-shirt, and a leather jacket. His hair was spiky yet seemed soft- and dark but had a hint of blue in it. He was tall, though not so tall but average tall height.

Shiroi let out her breath.

"Who is that masked man?" said Ino. And the remark was apt-dark sunglasses completely covered the boy's eyes, shielding his face like a mask plus the bangs that decorated his face perfectly.

"That masked stranger", someone else said and a babble of voices rose up.

"Uh-oh, Shiroi got that look again. The hunting look".

Through the chatter, Karin's voice suddenly rang out, "Oh, come on Shiroi. You've already got Naruto. What more do you want? What can you do with two that you can't do with one?"

"The same thing-only longer", drawled Tenten and the group dissolved into laughter.

Sakura frowned and put a comfortable hand on Hinata's back at the mention of Naruto.

The boy had locked his car and was walking toward school. Casually Shiroi started after him, the other girls right behind her in a knit pack.

A long corridor stretched before them, and a figure in Jeans and leather jacket was disappearing through the office doorway ahead.

Shiroi slowed her pace as she walked up to the office, finally stopping to glance thoughtfully. There was a large window here, through which the entire office was visible. The girls were openly gazing through the window and giggling, "Nice rear view".

Shiroi was straining her ears for the boy's name. There seemed to be some kind of problem in their; Rhea-san, the admissions secretary, was looking at a list and shaking her head. The boy said something, and Rhea-san lifted her hands in a 'What can I say' gesture. She ran her finger down the list and shook her head again conclusively. The boy started to turn away, and then turned back. And when Rhea-san looked up at him, her expression changed. The boy's sunglasses were now in his hand. Rhea-san seemed started by something. Her lips opened and closed as if she was trying to speak. Shiroi wished she could see more than the boy's back. Rhea-san handed him his class schedule. Her eyes never left the boy as he took it, inclined hid thanks, and turned to the door.

Shiroi was wild with curiosity by now. As he emerged from the office, he was setting his sunglasses in place again.

Disappointment coursed through her. Still, she could see the rest of his face as he paused in the doorway. Dark hair with a hint of blue bangs on his face framing his features so fine that he might be one of the legendary Uchiha boys but, they died centuries ago. High cheekbones, classical straight nose...and a mouth to keep you awake at night.

The chatting of the girls stopped. Without looking to either side, the boy moved on down the hallway. A chorus of sighs and whispers flared up the moment he was out of earshot.

He walked right by her, right by without a glance.

"Shiroi!" Sakura's voice exclaimed.

"What?"

"We have Trig, come on!" said Hinata.

Shiroi allowed Hinata to propel her down the corridor, up a flight of stairs and into a classroom. The shock still hadn't worn off. He'd walked right by. Without a glance, she couldn't remember how long it had been since a boy had done that. They all looked, some whistled, some stopped to talk and some just stared.

For Shiroi boys were only a mark of how popular and beautiful you were. Sometimes they were exciting, but usually that didn't last long.

Most boys, Shiroi reflected, were like puppies. Adorable in their place, but expendable. A very few could be more than that, could become real friends. Like...Naruto.

Oh, Naruto. Last year she'd hoped that he was the one she was looking for, the boy who could make her feel...well, something more. Even though she knew that Hinata, her best friend, really loved him, yet she didn't reject him because he really loved her or, that was what he thought. Naruto won a very special place in her heart...only as a friend...nothing more. That's why she was going to tell him it was over, she didn't want to hurt him, she tried to feel any romantic feelings towards him but, to her he was like a brother she never had, she needs to tell him, also for her best friend, she didn't mean to hurt anyone.

Every time she remembers that masked boy and how he'd brushed by her that way, she felt annoyed, until she found her fingers were clenched on the pen she held.

The bell rang and Shiroi bit her lip, scanning the river of students flowing through, she spotted the one she needed.

"Tamaki!" Come here".

Tamaki came eagerly, her plain face blighting.

"Listen, Tamaki, you remember that boy this morning?"

'With the spiky hair and the...err...assets? How could I forget "?

"Well, I want his schedule. Get it from the office if you can, or copy it from him if you have to. But do it!"

Tamaki looked surprised for a moment, then grinned and nodded. "Okay, Shiroi. I'll try. I'll meet you at lunch if I can get it".

''Thanks". Shiroi watched the girl go.

"You know, I'm not surprised", Sakura's voice came from behind her. She turned around to see a frowning Sakura and a disappointed Hinata.

"What's the use of being the queen of the school if you can't pull a little rank sometimes?" Shiroi calmly said, "Where do I go now?"

"General Business." Here", Hinata thrust a schedule at her. "I've got Chemistry". Hinata's voice was oddly hushed, "Later!" She and Sakura marched to Chemistry.

Shiroi left for business feeling a weird feeling in her chest, she had hoped to get another glimpse of the new student, but he was in none of her classes. Naruto was in one, and she felt a pang in his blue eyes as they met hers with a smile.

At the lunch bell, she nodded greetings right and left as she walked to the cafeteria. Karin was outside, posed casually against a wall with chin up, shoulders back, and hips forward. The two boys she was talking to, fell silent and nudged each other as Shiroi approached.

"Hi", Shiroi said briefly to the boys; and to Karin: "Ready to go in and eat?"

Karin's pink eyes barely flickered toward Shiroi, and she pushed glossy red hair out her face. "What, at the royal table?" she said.

Shiroi was taken back. She and Karin had been friends since kindergarten, and they had always competed with each other good-naturedly. But lately something had happened to Karin. She'd begun to take the rivalry too seriously. She was surprised at the bitterness in the other girl's voice. "Well, it's hardly as if you were a commoner", Shiroi said lightly.

"Oh, you're so right about that ", said Karin, turning to face Shiroi fully. Those pink eyes were silted and smoky, and Shiroi was shocked by the hostility she saw there. The two boys smiled uneasily and edged away.

"A lot of things changed while you were gone this summer, Shiroi", she continued, "And just maybe your time on the throne is running out".

Shiroi flushed; she could feel it. She struggled to keep her voice steady. "Maybe," she said. "But, I wouldn't buy a scepter just yet if I were you, Karin", she turned around and went to the lunch room. It was a relief to see Hinata and Sakura smiling and Tamaki beside them.

"I got it", said Tamaki, waving a piece of as Shiroi sat down.

"And I have some good stuff", said Sakura importantly." Listen to this. He's in my biology class, and I sit across from him. And his name is Sasuke, Sasuke _Uchiha,_ and yes he's an Uchiha, I thought they died centuries ago but here's one of them, and he's boarding with Luna-san on the edge of town". She sighs, "He is so romantic. Karin dropped her books, and he picked them up for her". Shiroi made a wry face. "How clumsy of Karin." What else happened? ".

"Well. That's all. He didn't really talks to her. He's ver-r-ry mysterious, you see. Orochimaru-sensei my biology teacher, tried to get him to take his sunglasses off but he refused saying he got a medical condition".

"What kind of medical conditions?"

"I don't know..."

Shiroi was looking over Tamaki's sheet paper, biting her lip. "He's in my seventh period, History. Anybody else have that class? ".

"I do", said Sakura. "All of the rookies are in this class, that's why Naruto was talking about his luck, getting Kakashi-sensie".

Marvelous, Shiroi thought, picking up a fork and stabbing at her mashed potatoes. It looked as if seventh period was going to be extremely interesting.


	3. History

Sasuke was glad the school day was almost over. He wanted to get out of these crowded rooms and corridors, just for a few minutes.

So many minds. The pressure of so many thought patterns, so many mental voices surrounding him, was making him dizzy. It had been years since he had been in a swarm of people like this.

One mind particular stood out from the others. She had been among those watching him in the main corridor of the school building. He didn't know what she looked like, but her personality was- different. He felt sure he'd recognize it again.

So far, at least, he'd survived the first day of the masquerade. He'd used the Powers only twice, and the sparingly. But he was tired, and, he admitted ruefully, hungry. The rabbit hadn't been enough.

Worry about that later. He found his last classroom and sat down. And immediately he felt the presence of that mind again.

It glowed at the edge of his consciousness; he could locate the girl it was coming from. She was seated right in front of him.

Even as he thought it, she turned around and he saw her face. It was all he could do not to gasp in shock.

Hotaru! But of course it couldn't be.

Hotaru was dead; no one knew that better than he did.

Still, the resemblance was uncanny. That brown hair, so fair it almost seemed to shimmer. That creamy skin, which had always made him think of swans, or alabaster, flushing faintly over the cheekbones. And the eyes...He'd never forget Hotaru's eyes. This girl had those same eyes.

And they were fixed directly on his as she smiled.

He frowned and looked down from the smile quickly. Of all things, he did not want to think about Hotaru. He didn't want to look at this girl who reminded him of her, he didn't want to feel her presence any longer. He kept his eyes on the desk, blocking his mind as strongly as he knew how. And at last, slowly, she turned around again.

She was hurt. Even though the blocks, he could feel that. He didn't care. In fact, he was glad of it, and he hoped it would keep her away from him.

"Where's Kakashi-sensie?!" yelled Naruto breaking Sasuke's thoughts and distracting him from the girl's thoughts.

' _Loud as usual, Naruto',_ smirked Sasuke to himself. Naruto was sitting in front of him but in the other row beside him, next to _that_ girl.

"Dobe "smirked Sasuke, making Naruto turn around and smirked back at the raven head boy, "Teme".

"I'm Taru-sensie, it was supposed to be Kakashi's class, yes Naruto. But due to some changes, I'll be the one who'd teach you History", announced the sensei.

Sasuke could smell a subtle hint of some perfume- violets, he thought. And her slender white neck was bowed over her book, the fair hair falling on either side of it.

In anger and frustration he recognized the seductive feeling in his teeth- more a tickling or a tingling than an ache.

The sensei was pacing about the room like a ferret, asking questions, and Sasuke deliberately fixed his attention on the man. At first he was puzzled, for although none of the students knew the answers, the questions kept coming. Then he realized that that was the man's purpose. To shame the students with what they didn't know.

Just now he'd found another victim, a small girl with clusters of pink hair. Sasuke watched in distaste as the teacher badgered her with questions. She looked wretched as he turned away from her to address the entire class.

"You see what I mean? You think you're hot stuff; you're seniors now, ready to graduate. Well, let me tell you, some of you aren't ready to graduate kindergarten. Like this!" He gestured toward the pink-haired girl. "No idea about the accident Japanese clans. Thinks Hashirama Senju was a silent movie star".

Students all around Sasuke were shifting uncomfortably. He could feel the resentment in their minds, and the humiliation. And the fear.

"Alright, let's try another era." The sensei swung back to the same girl he'd been questioning. "After the Third great war..." he broke off.

"You do know that era, don't you? The period between the Third Great war and the Fourth Great war, in which one of the most powerful clans disappeared, the period that produced so many great leaders and thinkers?" When the girl nodded confusedly, he continued.

"During that period, what would students your age be doing? Well? Any ideas at all? Any guesses?"

The girl swallowed hard. With a weak smile she said, "Playing football?"

At the ensuing laughter, the teacher's face darkened. "Hardly!" He snapped, and the class quieted. "You think this is a joke? Well, in those days, students your age would already be proficient in several languages. They would also have mastered logic, astronomy and philosophy. They would be ready to go on. Football would he absolutely the last thing on-"

"Excuse me."

The quiet voice stopped the teacher in mind-harangue. Everyone turned to stare at Sasuke who had a blank expression but annoyance could be visible in his eyed but wasn't visible due to his sunglasses.

"What? What did you say?"

Naruto smirked, not feeling confused as the others.

"I said, excuse me," Sasuke repeated, removing his glasses and standing up. "But you're wrong. During that era, students our age were encouraged to participate in games. They were taught that a healthy body goes with a healthy mind, they certainly played team sports...Even football". He turned to the red-haired girl and smiled, and she smiled back gratefully. To the sensei, he added, "But what your book won't tell you that they were also great in the art of Ninjutsu so, they could do more than sports. And the most important things they learned were good manners and courtesy. I'm sure your book will tell you that".

Students were grinning. The teacher's face was red with blood, and he was sputtering. But Sasuke continued to hold his eyes, and after another minute it was the teacher who looked away.

The bell rang.

Sasuke put his glasses on quickly and gathered his books. He'd already drawn more attention to himself than he should, and he didn't want to have to look at the brunette girl again. Besides, he needed to get out of here quickly; there was a familiar burning sensation in his veins

As he reached the door, someone shouted, "Hey! Did they really play football back then?"

He couldn't help throwing a smirk over his shoulder. "Hn."

Shiroi watched him as he went away. He'd deliberately turned away from her. He'd snubbed her on purpose, and in front of Karin, who'd been watching like a hawk. Tears burned in her eyes, but at that moment only one thought burned in her mind.

She'd have him, even if it killed her. If it killed both of them, she'd have him.


	4. Memories

The first light of dawn was streaking the night sky with pink and palest green. Sasuke watched it from the window of his room in the boarding house. He had rented this room specifically because of the trapdoor in the ceiling, a trapdoor that opened onto the widow's walk on the roof above. Sasuke was fully dressed, but not because he was up early. He had never been to sleep.

He'd just returned from the woods, and a few scraps of wet leaf clung to the side of his boot. He brushed then off fastidiously. The comments of the students yesterday had not escaped his mind, and he knew they had been staring at his clothes. He had always dressed in the best, not merely out of vanity, but because it was the right thing to do. His father had often said it: _An aristocrat should dress as befits his position. If he does not, he is showing contempt for others._

Everyone had a place in the world, and his place had once been among the nobility. Once.

Why was he dwelling on these things? Of course, he should have realized that playing the role of a senior teen was likely to bring his own teen days back. Now the memories came thick and fast. One flashed before him vividly now: his father's face when Itachi had announced he was quitting ANBU. He would never forget that. He had never seen his father so angry. . . . .

 _"What do you mean, you're not going back?" Fugaku was usually a fair man, but he had a temper, and now his elder son brought out the violence in him._

 _Just now that son was facing his father with a blank face. "I would have thought even you could understand such a simple sentences, father"._

 _"Itachi-" Sasuke began tightly, whenever he tried to talk with his brother in this matter, his elder brother would always say that he doesn't understand and to keep himself out of these stuff. His father interrupted._

 _"You're telling me that I, Fugaku Uchiha, will have to face the clan elders saying that you abandoned your responsibilities?" Servants were edging away as Fugaku worked himself into a rage._

 _Itachi didn't even blink. "Apparently. You said to me that I'm free to choose my own path, and I did"._

 _"I didn't mean abandoning your responsibilities as the next heir!" Cried Fugaku, rising up."Why?" His large hand whipped up to grasp Itachi's chin. "Why?!"_

 _Sasuke had to give his brother credit; Itachi did not wince. He stood, almost lounging in his father's grip._

 _You've gone too far this time, thought Sasuke, watching the two men whose eyes were locked together. Red eyes vs Red eyes._

 _Just then there was a light step in the study doorway. Turning, Sasuke dazzled. It was Hotaru. Her father Inabi Nakatomi, had brought her here from the Land of Snow to the Land of Fire, hoping it would help her recover from a prolonged illness. And since the day she arrived, everything had changed for Sasuke._

 _"Gomen. I did not mean to intrude," Her voice was soft and clear. She made a slight motion as if to leave._

 _"No, don't go. Stay," Sasuke said quickly._

 _"Yes, stay," Fugaku said, and Sasuke saw that his father's thunderous expression had lightened and that he had released Itachi._

 _"Your father should be returning from his business today, and he will be delighted to see you. But your cheeks are pale, little Hotaru. You're not ill again, I hope?"_

 _"You know I am always pale, Fugaku-sama. I do not use the things your Uchiha girls' use."_

 _"You don't need it", said Sasuke before he could stop himself, and Hotaru smiled at him. She was so beautiful. An ache began in his chest._

 _His father continued, "And I see all too little of you during the day. You seldom give us the pleasure of your company until twilight"_

 _"I have my studies and devotions in my own room, Fugaku-sama", said Hotaru quietly, her lashes dropping. Sasuke knew this was not true, but he said nothing; he would never betray Hotaru's secret. She looked up at his father again. "But I am here now, Sama"._

 _"Yes, yes, that is true. And I must see that tonight we have a very special meal for your father's return. Itachi...we will speak later." As Fugaku motioned to a servant and strode out, Sasuke turned to Hotaru. It was seldom they could speak to each other without the presence of his father or of her pink-haired companion, Gudren-san._

 _But what Sasuke saw then was like a blow to his stomach. Hotaru was smiling - the little secret smile that she had often shared with him. But she was not looking at him. She was looking at Itachi._

 _Sasuke hated his brother at that moment, hated Itachi's dark beauty and grace and the sensuality that drew women to him like moths to flame. Sasuke had the same beauty, but the older Uchiha was above him in everything. He wanted to smash that beauty to pieces. Instead he had to stand and watch as Hotaru moved slowly toward his brother, step by step._

 _And even as he watched, Itachi waited until she was standing in front of him, he held out a hand to Hotaru, which she immediately took, and he smiled the cruel smile of triumph. . . . ._

Sasuke turned away from the window sharply. Why was he reopening old wounds? But, even as he thought it, he drew out the slender gold chain he wore under his shirt. His thumb and forefinger caressed the ring that hung from it, and then he held it up to the light.

The little circlet was exquisitely worked in hold, and five centuries had not dimmed its luster. Sasuke looked at it, and then at the heavy silver ring, FIRE, was written on it in old Japanese. In his chest was a familiar tightness.

He could not forget the past, and he didn't really wish to. Despite everything that had happened, he cherished Hotaru's memory. But there was one memory he must truly not to disturb. If he had to relive that horror, that...Abomination, he would go mad. As he had been mad that day, that final day, when he looked upon his own damnation...

Sasuke leaned against the window, his forehead pressed to its coolness. His father had had another saying: _Evil will never find peace. It may triumph, but it will never find peace._

Why had even come back to Konoha?

He had hoped to find peace here, but that was impossible. He would never be accepted, he would never rest. Because he was evil. He could not change what he was.


	5. Football

Shiroi was up even earlier than usual that morning. She could hear her Oba-san pottering in her room, getting ready for showering. Amera was still fast asleep, curled up like a mouse in her bed. Shiroi passed her younger sister's half-open door noiselessly and continued down the hallway to let herself out of the house.

The air was fresh and clear this morning; the quince tree was inhabited only by the usual jays and sparrows. Shiroi, who had gone to bed with a throbbing headache, lifted her face to the clean blue sky and breathed deeply.

She felt much better than she had yesterday. She'd promised to meet Naruto before school, and though she wasn't looking forward to it she was sure it was going to be alright.

Naruto lived only two streets away from the highschool. Naruto was already standing outside, and for a moment her heart picked up at the sight of him.

He was _good looking_ . There was no doubt about that. His blond hair was spiky as usual, like rays of sunlight, and the bandage he wore around his forehead, and his tanned skin from training, his blue eyes were honest and straight forward. And today, as he held out his arms to hug her gently, they were a little sad.

"you want to come inside?"

"No. Let's just walk," Shiroi said. They went side by side without touching. Maple and black walnut tree were lined this street, and the air still had a morning hush. Shiroi watched her feet on the wet side walk, feeling suddenly uncertain, she didn't know how to start after all.

"So you still haven't told me about Italy, did you have fun there?," he asked in his cheerful tone.

"Oh, it was great, and yes, I had fun there," said Shiroi. She glanced sideways at him. He was looking at the sidewalk, too. "Everything was great," she continued trying to put some enthusiasm in her voice. "The people, the food, everything. It was really. . . . ." Her voice trailed off, and she laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I know. Great," he finished for her. She stopped walking and stood, staring at him, "You know, you look _pretty_ great right now," she said.

He looked at her confused, rubbing the back of his head, and grinning, showing his beautiful smile, the smile she really longed to. "Are you okay, Shiroi-chan?" he was one of the very few people who still used honorifics. His blue steady eyes were on her face.

Shiroi opened her mouth in dismay, but he was speaking again.

"And I guess you have something to tell me," he smied, "Shiroi-chan, come on, tell me." She stared at him, and he was still smiling at her. Then he held out his arms again.

"Oh, _Naruto_ ," she said hugging him tightly.

She stepped back to look into his face. "Naruto, you are the nicest guy I've ever met. I don't deserve you".

"Oh, so that's why you're dumping me," he laughed, as they started walking again. "Because I'm too good for you, well that's a fact, and thank you for noticing it." She punched him playfully in the arm. "No, that isn't why, and I am not dumping you, we're going to be friends, right?"

"Aren't we friends already?",he smiled a closed eyes smile.

She smiled up at him, "Oh, sure. Oh, absolutely,'' she felt relieved, and blessed, that she has someone like Naruto, such a pure, gentle soul.

"Shiroi-chan...it doesn't have anything to do with Sasuke, does it? ",he said nastly,she sweat dropped, "Who is Sasuke?".

"Oh, come on Shiroi-chan," he wiggled his eyes brows, and smirked, "the new guy."

"No," Shiroi said, after a hesitation, and then added quickly, "I haven't even met him yet. I don't know him."

"But you want to. Sasuke is a really nice guy by the way, but he's a bit cold", he chuckled to himself, as if recalling something.

She looked at him confused, but before she could say anything. He put an arm around her, and gently turned her.

"Come on, let's head toward school. If we have time, I'll even buy you a doughnut."

As they walked, something trashed in the walnut tree above them. Naruto frowned, and narrowed his eyes, "Biggest crow I've ever seen".

Shiroi looked, but it was already gone.

School that day was merely a convenient place for Shiroi to review her plan. She had woken up this morning knowing what to do. And today she gathered as much information as she could on subject of Sasuke Uchiha, which wasn't hard, because everyone at school was talking about him.

When Shiroi arrived for History class that afternoon, she was greeted by a low whistle in the hall. Kiba and Iwao loitering there.

A couple of prize jerks, she thought.

They thought being tackle and safety on the varsity football team made them hot sruff. However, she'd given Sakura her special instructions, and the plan was ready to be put into effect as soon as Sasuke showed up. The compact mirror gave her a wonderful view of the hall behind her.

Still, she missed him coming somehow. He was behind her suddenly, and she snapped the compact shut as he passed. She meant to stop him, but something happened before she could. Sasuke tensed- or, at least, there was something about him that seemed wary all at once. Just then Kiba and Iwao stepped infront of the History classroom blocking the way.

"Excuse me," it was the same tone he'd used with the History teacher. Quite, cold, and detached.

Kiba and Iwao looked at each other, then all around them, as if hearing spirit voices.

"Scoozi me?",Kiba said in a folsetto.

"Scoozi me? Me Scoozi? Jacuzzi?",they both laughed.

Shiroi watched muscles tighten under the shirt infront of her.

"Is there a problem here?", Shiroi was startled as Kiba and Iwao, Sasuke was still glaring at them, trying not to do something he'll regret.

Shiroi turned around to see Naruto. His blue eyes were hard.

Shiroi bit her lips on a smile as Kiba and Iwao moved slowly, resentfully out of the way. Good old Naruto, she thought.

But now good old Naruto was walking into class beside Sasuke, and she was left behind following them, staring at the backs of two T-shirts. When they sat down, she slid into the desk behind the Uchiha, where she could watch him without being watched herself. Her plan would have to wait until after class.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a grin, "Oi Sasuke," he began, "those guys, you know..."

Sasuke laughed. It was a bitter sound, "Who am I to judge?", there was more emotion in his voice than Shiroi had heard before, even when he had spoken to the sensei. And that emotion was raw of unhappiness. "Anyway, why should I be welcome here, again", he finished, looking at Naruto with a knowing look.

"Why shouldn't you be," Naruto had been staring at Sasuke; now his jaw squared with decision. "Listen," he said, "you were talking about football yesterday. Well, our star wide receiver tore a ligament yesterday, and we need a replacement. What do you think...remember the old day? You and I know that you can do more than just receive".

"Hn, I remember but...I don't know if I could."

"Sasuke, can you run?"

Shiroi could see him smirk, "You know better, dobe.''

"And can you catch?" Naruto was teasing him.

Sasuke turned to Naruto with a raised brow.

Naruto smirked, "that's all you need".

"I see." Sasuke was actually almost smiling, and Naruto's blue eyes were dancing. Astonished at herself, Shiroi realized she was jealous. There was warmth between the two boys that shut her out completely.

But the next instant, Sauske's smile disappeared. He said distantly, "I have other commitments".

At that moment, Sakura and Karin arrived, and the class started.

Throughout the lecture, Shiroi repeated to herself, "Hello. I'm Shiroi Hoga. I'm on the senior welcoming committee,and I've been assigned to show you around the school. Now, you wouldn't want to get me in trouble, would you, by not letting me do my job?". That last wide wistful eyes- but only if he looked like he might try to get out of it. It was virtually foolproof. He was a sucker for maidens, who needed to be rescued. Halfway through the class, the girl sitting to her right passed her a note. Shiroi opened it and recognized Sakura's handwriting. It read, " _I kept K. away for as long as I could. What happened? Did it work?"_

Shiroi looked upto see Sakura twisted around in her front-row seat. Shiroi pointed to the note and shook her head, mouthing, " _After class"._

It seemed like a century until they were dismissed. Then everybody sprang up at once. Here goes, thought Shiroi, and with her heart pounding, she stepped squarely into Sasuke's path, blocking the aisle so that he couldn't get around her.

Just like Kiba and Iwao, she thought, feeling a hysterical urge to giggle. She looked up and found her eyes exactly on a level with his mouth.

Her mind went blank. What was it she was supposed to say? She opened her mouth, and somehow the words she'd been practicing came tumbling out. "Hi, I'm Shiroi Hoga, and I'm on the Senior Welcoming Committee and I've been assigned-"

"I'm sorry; I don't have time." For a moment, she couldn't believe he was speaking, that he wasn't even going to give her a chance to finish.

Her mouth went right on the speech.

"- to show you around the school-"

"I'm sorry; I can't. I have to get to football tryouts", Sauske turned to Naruto, who was standing by looking confused. "They're right after school, right?"

"Yes," Naruto said rubbing the back of his head.

"Then come on, Usratonkatchi. Maybe you could show me the way." Sauske put an arm around Naruto's shoulder.

"Well, come on, teme",chuckled Naruto.

He glanced back to Shiroi onced they left. Sauske didn't.

Shiroi found herself looking around at a circle of interested observers, including Karin, who was openly smirking. Shiroi felt numbness in her body and fullness in her throat. She couldn't stand to be here for one more second. She turned and walked as quickly as she could from the room.


	6. home?

By the time Shiroi reached her locker, the numbness was wearing off and the lump in her throat was trying to dissolve into tears. But she wouldn't cry at school, she told herself, she _wouldn't._ After closing her locker, she made for the main exist.

For the second day in a row, she was coming home from school right after the last bell, and alone. Oba-san Guren wouldn't be able to cope. But when Shiroi reached her house, Oba-san Guren's car was not in the driveway; she and Amera must have gone out to the market. The house was still and peaceful as Shiroi let herself in.

She was glad for that stillness; she wanted to be alone right now. But, on the other hand, she didn't exactly know what to do with herself. Now that she finally _could_ cry, she found that tears wouldn't come. She let her backpack sag to the floor in the front hall and walked slowly into the living room.

It was a handsome, impressive room, the only part of the house besides Shiroi's bedroom that belonged to the original structure. The fullness in her throat was back, but still no tears would come. Everything inside her was contradictory. She didn't want company, and yet she was achingly lonely. She _did_ want to think, but now that she was trying to, her thoughts eluded her like mice running from a white owl.

White owl...hunting bird...flesh eater...crow, she thought. "Biggest crow I've ever seen." Naruto had said.

Her eyes stung again. Naruto. She'd hurt him, but he'd been nice about it, maybe he agreed that they were only friends, and that there's someone better for him than her, she thought, he'd even been nice to Sasuke, they were friends, but Naruto never talked about him, and why didn't he tell her.

 _Sasuke._ Her heart thudded once, hard, squeezing two hot tears out of her eyes. There, she was crying at last. She was crying with anger and humiliation and frustration- and what else? What had he really lost today? What did she really feel for this stranger, this Sasuke Uchiha? He was a challenge, yes, and that made him different, interesting. Sasuke was exotic...exciting.

She was interested in the guy because he made her feel nervous? Not a very good reason, Shiroi, she told herself. In fact, a very bad reason.

But there was also that mouth, that sculpted mouth that made her knees week with something entirely different than nervousness. And that night-dark hair her fingers itched to weave themselves into its softness. That muscled body, those long legs . . . . and that _voice_. It was his voice that had decided her yesterday that she must have him. His voice had been cool and disdainful when talking to the sensei, but strangely compelling for all that. She wondered if it could turn night-dark as well, and how it would sound saying her name, whispering her name. . . .

"Shiroi!"

Shiroi jumped, her reverie shattered. But it wasn't Sasuke Uchiha calling her, it was Obaa-san Guren rattling the front door.

"Shiroi? Shiroi!" And that was Amera, her voice shrill and piping. "Are you home?"

Misery welled up in Shiroi again, and she glanced around the kitchen. She couldn't face her Oba-san's worried questions or Amera's innocent cheerfulness right now. Not with het eyelashes wet and new tears threatening any minute. She made a lighting decision and quietly slipped out the back door as the front door banged shut.

Once off the back porch and into the yard, she hesitated. She didn't want to run into anyone she knew. But where could she go to be alone?

The answer almost came instantly. Of course. She'd go see Mom and Dad.

It was a fairly long walk; almost to the edgr edge of the town but over the last three years it had become familiar to Shiroi. She crossed over Anoshka Bridge and climbed up the hill, past the ruined temple, then down into the little valley below.

Shiroi sat down by the big marble headstone with "Hoga" carved into the front.

"Otousan. Oukasan." She whispered. She leaned over to place a white blossom she'd picked along the way from Ino's flowers shop. Then she curled her legs under her and just sat.

She'd come here often after the accident. Amera haf been only one at that time of the car crash; she didn't really remember them. But Shiroi did. Now she let her mind leaf back through memories, and the lump in her throat swelled, and the tears came easier. She missed them so much, still. Oukasan, so young and beautiful, and Otousan, with a smile that crinkled up his eyes.

She was lucky to have Obaa-san Guren, ofcourse. It wasn't every aunt who would quit her job and move back to town to take care of two orphaned nieces. And Yūkimaru, Oba-san Guren's fiancé, was more like a stepfather to Amera than an uncle-to-be by marriage.

That was when she hadn't known Obaa-san Guren very well, and had felt there was nowhere on earth she belonged anymore.

Where did she belong now? She wondered.

The easy answer was, here, in The Leaf, where she'd lived all her life. But lately the easy answer seemed wrong. Lately she felt there must be something else out there for her, some place she would recognize at once and call home.

A shadow fell over her, and she looked up startled. For an instant, the two figures seemed like aliens. She stared, frozen.


	7. Cemetery

_A shadow fell over her, and she looked up startled. For an instant, the two figures seemed like aliens. She stared, frozen._

"Shiroi," said the smaller figure fussily, hands on hips, "sometimes I _worry_ about you, I really do."

Shiroi blinked and then laughed shortly. It was Sakura and Hinata. "What does a person have to do to get a little privacy around here?" She said as they sat down.

"Tell us to go away", suggested Hinata while smiling, but Shiroi just shrugged. Hinata and Sakura had often come out here to find her in the months after the accident. Suddenly, she felt glad about that, and grateful with the friends who cared about her. She didn't mind if they knew she had been crying, and she accepted the crumpled tissue Sakura offered her and wiped her eyes. The three of them sat together in silence for a little while, watching the wind ruffle the stand of oak trees at the edge of the cemetery.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Sakura said at last, in a soft voice. "That was really terrible."

Shiroi felt herself go hot all over again at the memory. "It _was_ terrible. But I don't care anymore," she added flatly, defiantly. "I'm finished with him. I don't want him anyway."

"Shiroi!"

"I don't, Sakura. He obviously thinks he's too good for- for anyone. So he can just take those designer sunglasses and. . ."

There were snorts of laughter from the girls. Shiroi wiped her nose and shook her head. "So," she said, determinedly changing the subjects, "at least Taru-sensei seemed in a better mood today."

Sakura looked martyred. "Do you know that he made me sign up to be the very first one to give my oral report? I don't care, though: I'm going to do mine on the druids, and-"

"On the what?"

" _Droo-_ ids. The weird old guys who built The Fire Temple and did magic in the past. I'm descended from them, and that's why I'm psychic. "

Shiroi frowned at the blade of grass she was twirling between her fingers. "Sakura, did you really see something yesterday in my palm?" She asked abruptly.

Sakura hesitated. "I don't know," she said at last. "I- I _thought_ I did then. But sometimes my imagination runs away with me."

"She knew you were here," said Hinata unexpectedly.

"I thought of looking at the tea shop, but Sakura said, 'She's at the cemetery.' "

"Did I?" Sakura looked faintly surprised but impressed. "Well, there you see. My grandmother in the North has the second sight and so do I. It always skips a generation."

"Really?"

"Well, it's true! In North they keep up the old traditions. You wouldn't _believe_ some of the things my grandmother does. She has a way to find out who you're going to marry and when you're going to die. She told me I'm going to die early."

"Sakura!"

"She did. I'm going to be young and beautiful in my coffin. Don't you think that's romantic?"

"No, I don't. I think it's disgusting," said Shiroi. The shadows were getting longer, and the wind had a chill to it now.

"So who are you going to marry, Sakura?" Hinata asked trying to brighten up things.

"I don't know. My grandmother told me the ritual for finding out, but I never tried it. Of course" -Sakura struck a sophisticated pose- "he has to be outrageously rich and totally gorgeous. Like our mysterious dark stranger, for example. Particularly if nobody else wants him." She cast a wicked glance at Shiroi.

Shiroi refused the bait. "What about Kiba Inuzuka?" She murmured innocently. "His father's certainly rich enough"

"And he's not bad-looking," agreed Hinata playfully. "That is, of course, if you're an animal lover. All those big white teeth."

The girls looked at each other and then simultaneously burst into laughter. Sakura threw a handful of grass at Hinata, who brushed it off and threw a dandelion back at her. Somewhere in the middle of it, Shiroi realized that she was going to be all right. She was herself again, not lost, not a stranger, but Shiroi Hoga, the queen.

"I've decided what to do my oral report on."She said, watching with narrow eyes as Sakura finger-combed grass out of her curls.

"What?" said Hinata.

Shiroi titled her chin up to gaze at the red and purple sky above the hill. She took a thoughtful breath and let the suspense build for a moment. Then she said coolly, "The era between the First and Third Hokage".

"When the Uchiha were still alive?" asked Hinata.

"Yes."

Sakura and Hinata stared at her, then looked at each other and burst into whoops of laughter again.

"Aha," said Hinata when they recovered, "So the tiger returneth."

Shiroi gave her a feral grin. Her shaken confidence had returned to her. And though she didn't understand it herself, she knew one thing: she wasn't going to let Sasuke Uchiha get away alive.

The wind was rising. Each gust sent whispers through the grass and made the ancient oak trees rattle their dangling leaves.

"I'm freezing," Shiroi said, pausing for a moment by the black hole that had once been the temple door and looking down at the land-scape below.

The moon had not yet risen, and she could just make out the old graveyard and Anoshka Bridge beyond it. The old graveyard dated from the Third Great War days, and many of the headstones bore the names of the soldiers. It had a wild look to it; brambles and tall weed grew on the graves, and ivy vines swarmed over crumbling granite.

Shiroi had never liked it.

"It looks different, doesn't it? In the dark, I mean," she said unsteadily. She didn't know how to say what she really meant, that it was not a place for the living.

"We could go the long way," said Hinata.

"But that would mean another twenty minutes of walking."

"I don't mind going this way," said Sakura.

Shiroi started down the hill. But he further down the narrow path she got, the more uncomfortable she felt. She slowed untill Sakura and Hinata caught up with her.

As they neared the first headstone, her heart began beating fast. She tried to ignore it, but her whole skin was tingling with awareness and the fine hairs on her arms were standing up. Between the gusts of wind, every sound seemed horribly magnified; the crunching of their feet on the leaf-strewn path was deafening.

Some of the tombstones themselves were unnerving, like the one with the cherub that looked like a real baby, except that its heas had fallen off and had been carefully placed by its body. The wide granite eyes of the head were blank. Shiroi couldn't look away from it, and her heart began to pound.

"Why are we stopping?" Said Hinata.

"I just. . . I'm sorry, "Shiroi murmured, but when she forced herself to turn she immediately stiffened. "Sakura?" She said. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

Sakura was staring straight out into the graveyard, her lips parted, her eyes as wide and blank as the stone cherub's. Fear washed through Shiroi's stomach. "Sakura, stop it. Stop it! It's not funny."

Sakura made no reply.

"Sakura!" Said Hinata. She and Shiroi looked at each other, and suddenly Shiroi knew she had to get away. She whirled to start down the path, but a strange voice spoke behind her, and she jerked around.

"Shiroi," the voice said. It wasn't Sakura's voice, but it came from Sakura's mouth. Pale in the darkness, Sakura was still staring out into the graveyard. There was no expression on her face at all.

"Shiroi," the voice said again, and added, as Sakura's head turned toward her, "there's something waiting out there for you."

Shiroi never quite knew what happened in the next few minutes. Something seemed to move out among the dark humped shapes of the headstones, shifting and rising between them.

Shiroi screamed and Hinata cried out, and then they were both running, and Sakura was running with them, screaming, too.

"There's something behind us," cried Sakura. "Oh, God, what's happening?"

"Get to the bridge," gasped Shiroi through the fire in her lungs. She didn't know why, but she felt they had to make it there.

Shesaw the silver gleam of water before them. And there was the clearing between the oak trees, and the bridge just beyond. The bridge was twenty feet away from them, ten feet away, five.

''We made it," panted Hinata, feet thundering on the wood.

"Don't stop! Get to the other side!"

The bridge creaked as they ran staggering across it, their steps echoing across the water.

"What was it? Oh, what was it?" Sakura said between her breath.

"I thought you were the expert," Hinata said.

Hinata was looking across the river. "You know, I don't see a thing back there," she said, her voice calmer. "Maybe thete wasn't anything behind us at all; maybe we just panicked and scared ourselves. With a little help from the druid priestess here."

Shiroi said nothing as they started walking, keeping very close together on the dirt path. But she wondered. _She wondered very much. . ._


	8. They forgot

_A shadow fell over her, and she looked up startled. For an instant, the two figures seemed like aliens. She stared, frozen._

"Shiroi," said the smaller figure fussily, hands on hips, "sometimes I _worry_ about you, I really do."

Shiroi blinked and then laughed shortly. It was Sakura and Hinata. "What does a person have to do to get a little privacy around here?" She said as they sat down.

"Tell us to go away", suggested Hinata while smiling, but Shiroi just shrugged. Hinata and Sakura had often come out here to find her in the months after the accident. Suddenly, she felt glad about that, and grateful with the friends who cared about her. She didn't mind if they knew she had been crying, and she accepted the crumpled tissue Sakura offered her and wiped her eyes. The three of them sat together in silence for a little while, watching the wind ruffle the stand of oak trees at the edge of the cemetery.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Sakura said at last, in a soft voice. "That was really terrible."

Shiroi felt herself go hot all over again at the memory. "It _was_ terrible. But I don't care anymore," she added flatly, defiantly. "I'm finished with him. I don't want him anyway."

"Shiroi!"

"I don't, Sakura. He obviously thinks he's too good for- for anyone. So he can just take those designer sunglasses and. . ."

There were snorts of laughter from the girls. Shiroi wiped her nose and shook her head. "So," she said, determinedly changing the subjects, "at least Taru-sensei seemed in a better mood today."

Sakura looked martyred. "Do you know that he made me sign up to be the very first one to give my oral report? I don't care, though: I'm going to do mine on the druids, and-"

"On the what?"

" _Droo-_ ids. The weird old guys who built The Fire Temple and did magic in the past. I'm descended from them, and that's why I'm psychic. "

Shiroi frowned at the blade of grass she was twirling between her fingers. "Sakura, did you really see something yesterday in my palm?" She asked abruptly.

Sakura hesitated. "I don't know," she said at last. "I- I _thought_ I did then. But sometimes my imagination runs away with me."

"She knew you were here," said Hinata unexpectedly.

"I thought of looking at the tea shop, but Sakura said, 'She's at the cemetery.' "

"Did I?" Sakura looked faintly surprised but impressed. "Well, there you see. My grandmother in the North has the second sight and so do I. It always skips a generation."

"Really?"

"Well, it's true! In North they keep up the old traditions. You wouldn't _believe_ some of the things my grandmother does. She has a way to find out who you're going to marry and when you're going to die. She told me I'm going to die early."

"Sakura!"

"She did. I'm going to be young and beautiful in my coffin. Don't you think that's romantic?"

"No, I don't. I think it's disgusting," said Shiroi. The shadows were getting longer, and the wind had a chill to it now.

"So who are you going to marry, Sakura?" Hinata asked trying to brighten up things.

"I don't know. My grandmother told me the ritual for finding out, but I never tried it. Of course" -Sakura struck a sophisticated pose- "he has to be outrageously rich and totally gorgeous. Like our mysterious dark stranger, for example. Particularly if nobody else wants him." She cast a wicked glance at Shiroi.

Shiroi refused the bait. "What about Kiba Inuzuka?" She murmured innocently. "His father's certainly rich enough"

"And he's not bad-looking," agreed Hinata playfully. "That is, of course, if you're an animal lover. All those big white teeth."

The girls looked at each other and then simultaneously burst into laughter. Sakura threw a handful of grass at Hinata, who brushed it off and threw a dandelion back at her. Somewhere in the middle of it, Shiroi realized that she was going to be all right. She was herself again, not lost, not a stranger, but Shiroi Hoga, the queen.

"I've decided what to do my oral report on."She said, watching with narrow eyes as Sakura finger-combed grass out of her curls.

"What?" said Hinata.

Shiroi titled her chin up to gaze at the red and purple sky above the hill. She took a thoughtful breath and let the suspense build for a moment. Then she said coolly, "The era between the First and Third Hokage".

"When the Uchiha were still alive?" asked Hinata.

"Yes."

Sakura and Hinata stared at her, then looked at each other and burst into whoops of laughter again.

"Aha," said Hinata when they recovered, "So the tiger returneth."

Shiroi gave her a feral grin. Her shaken confidence had returned to her. And though she didn't understand it herself, she knew one thing: she wasn't going to let Sasuke Uchiha get away alive.

The wind was rising. Each gust sent whispers through the grass and made the ancient oak trees rattle their dangling leaves.

"I'm freezing," Shiroi said, pausing for a moment by the black hole that had once been the temple door and looking down at the land-scape below.

The moon had not yet risen, and she could just make out the old graveyard and Anoshka Bridge beyond it. The old graveyard dated from the Third Great War days, and many of the headstones bore the names of the soldiers. It had a wild look to it; brambles and tall weed grew on the graves, and ivy vines swarmed over crumbling granite.

Shiroi had never liked it.

"It looks different, doesn't it? In the dark, I mean," she said unsteadily. She didn't know how to say what she really meant, that it was not a place for the living.

"We could go the long way," said Hinata.

"But that would mean another twenty minutes of walking."

"I don't mind going this way," said Sakura.

Shiroi started down the hill. But he further down the narrow path she got, the more uncomfortable she felt. She slowed untill Sakura and Hinata caught up with her.

As they neared the first headstone, her heart began beating fast. She tried to ignore it, but her whole skin was tingling with awareness and the fine hairs on her arms were standing up. Between the gusts of wind, every sound seemed horribly magnified; the crunching of their feet on the leaf-strewn path was deafening.

Some of the tombstones themselves were unnerving, like the one with the cherub that looked like a real baby, except that its heas had fallen off and had been carefully placed by its body. The wide granite eyes of the head were blank. Shiroi couldn't look away from it, and her heart began to pound.

"Why are we stopping?" Said Hinata.

"I just. . . I'm sorry, "Shiroi murmured, but when she forced herself to turn she immediately stiffened. "Sakura?" She said. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

Sakura was staring straight out into the graveyard, her lips parted, her eyes as wide and blank as the stone cherub's. Fear washed through Shiroi's stomach. "Sakura, stop it. Stop it! It's not funny."

Sakura made no reply.

"Sakura!" Said Hinata. She and Shiroi looked at each other, and suddenly Shiroi knew she had to get away. She whirled to start down the path, but a strange voice spoke behind her, and she jerked around.

"Shiroi," the voice said. It wasn't Sakura's voice, but it came from Sakura's mouth. Pale in the darkness, Sakura was still staring out into the graveyard. There was no expression on her face at all.

"Shiroi," the voice said again, and added, as Sakura's head turned toward her, "there's something waiting out there for you."

Shiroi never quite knew what happened in the next few minutes. Something seemed to move out among the dark humped shapes of the headstones, shifting and rising between them.

Shiroi screamed and Hinata cried out, and then they were both running, and Sakura was running with them, screaming, too.

"There's something behind us," cried Sakura. "Oh, God, what's happening?"

"Get to the bridge," gasped Shiroi through the fire in her lungs. She didn't know why, but she felt they had to make it there.

Shesaw the silver gleam of water before them. And there was the clearing between the oak trees, and the bridge just beyond. The bridge was twenty feet away from them, ten feet away, five.

''We made it," panted Hinata, feet thundering on the wood.

"Don't stop! Get to the other side!"

The bridge creaked as they ran staggering across it, their steps echoing across the water.

"What was it? Oh, what was it?" Sakura said between her breath.

"I thought you were the expert," Hinata said.

Hinata was looking across the river. "You know, I don't see a thing back there," she said, her voice calmer. "Maybe thete wasn't anything behind us at all; maybe we just panicked and scared ourselves. With a little help from the druid priestess here."

Shiroi said nothing as they started walking, keeping very close together on the dirt path. But she wondered. _She wondered very much. . ._

The full moon was directly overhead when Sasuke came back to the boarding house. He was giddy, almost reeling, both from fatigue and from the glut of blood he'd taken. It had been a long time since the last time he feed so heavily. But the burst of wild power by the graveyard had caught him up in its frenzy, shattering his already weakened control.

He had been watching the human girls from his place in the shadows when it had exploded behind him, sending the girls fleeing. Sasuke felt confused, Sakura, Hinata, they were stronger than this. He didn't know how they didn't remember him, none of them remembered, except Naruto, of course Naruto would never forget him, his best friend.

Sasuke found himself thinking about _her_ , Shiroi. When she had spoken to him, he had been unable to believe that he had to face her while his veins _burned_ and his whole upper jaw ached. Her blood was different, like _Hotaru's._ Sasuke shook his head as random scraps of memory floated through his mind. Hotaru, so lovely that evening by the fountain, moonlight was silvering her pale golden hair. How proud he had been to sit with her, to be the one to share her secret. . .

 _"But can you never go out in sunlight?" Asked Sasuke, he just got back from a mission. He was still wearing his shinobi clothes._

 _"I can, yes, as long as I wear this." Hotaru held up a small white hand, and the moonlight shone on the lapis ring there. "But the sun tires me so much. I have never been very strong. Not like you, you're one of the strongest shinobi here, and I'm not."_

 _Sasuke looked at her, at the delicacy of her features and the slightness of her body. "I was often ill as a child. One day my medical nin said I would die." She shivered, and then smiled._

 _"What happened?"_

 _"I woke up in the middle of the night to see Gudren, my maid, standing over my bed. And then she stepped aside, and I saw the man she had brought. I was frightened, his name was Shimura, and I'd heard people in the village say that he was evil. I cried out to Gudren to save me, but she just stood there, watching." Her face clouded with sadness, as Sasuke watched her with pity in his eyes, she continued," One day my Tou-san will realize that since this illness I have not grown an hour older."_

 _"And you never will?"_

 _"No. That is the wonder of it, Sasuke!" She gazed up at him with childlike joy. "I will be young forever, and I will never die! Can you imagine?"_

Sasuke gazed outside his window, thoughtfully. After his little chat with Hotaru that night, he remembered Sakura and Naruto calling for him from a nearby tree branch. They warned him from Hotaru, but how could they suspect an innocent girl like her. . . Sasuke walked to a small shelf and grabbed a picture; which was put in a very old frame. It was him, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, in their Genin days. The old era, the good days, and now, Sakura's memories are gone, Naruto is the only one who still remembers him, or that what he thought.

"I still can sense your presence, usratonkatchi." Sasuke smirked, as he heard a _Hamph._

 _"_ You got me this time." Chuckled his blond friend with his Sage Mode on. Sasuke turned around to see Naruto, sitting casually on the bed. "It's been a while. . ." Naruto said looking at the picture Sasuke was holding in his hand.

"That's a humble world. It's been a _century_." Spoke Sasuke with a distant tone. "How. . . How come you still remember me?"

Naruto sighed and lied on Sasuke's bed with his hands under his head while staring at the ceiling, he spoke, "I can't forget. . . . I've told you before, Sasuke. You're the first bond I ever had." Sasuke looked down at the picture and sat on the ground next to his bed, Indian style. "Sakura doesn't remember me. They all changed." He remembered his little incident with Kiba, he wasn't like that. Karin, Sakura, all the Hidden Leaf Shinobi, was completely different.

"Things changed, yes. All of them lost their memories; they don't know who they really are, they were compiled by someone to forget everything right after your disappearance," Naruto's eyes closed in despair, "It's been very lonely, again. Only Kakashi sensei and few others still have their memories. I tried to bring them back more than once but it's useless. . . ."

"Compiled by someone? You know no one can do that except me and-" Naruto cut Sasuke off saying, "I know. . . But that's what happened."

"This girl. . . The one who looks like Hotaru," her name felt heavy under his tongue.

"Her name is Shiroi Hoga, she was born here 17 years ago. Her parents died in a car accident, and she lives with her aunt. She's her doppelgänger, Sasuke." Naruto gave Sasuke a knowing look. The wind was strong, but neither of them cared, their hearts were heavy.

"I came back here, hoping to forget everything that happened before," Sasuke spoke as his bangs covered his clouded eyes, which were looking at the picture in his hands.

The wind opened Sasuke's window wider and brushed his bangs as if kissing his cheeks with tenderness, he shivered as he remembered his early days. Living in peace is impossible with this much sadness and hatred.

"Let's go for a walk," Naruto said while standing offering a hand to Sasuke, "It's been a while since I went back to the old village. I'm sure you want to take a look there, maybe you'll find something," Naruto gave Sasuke a smile.

Sasuke's eyes felt warm, the feeling of living forever has its pain, and its own kind of suffering also. Even those who share with him the same fate don't even remember him. He's just a stranger, an ordinary high school student. And the truth is that they're not just ordinary students, they're not 17 years old, they're not some students who bully each other or whatever, they were comrades, and they were and still are shinobi.

When Sasuke and Naruto entered the deserted Uchiha district which was located in the outskirts of the village. Memories engulfed Sasuke. ' _You're too weak.'_ A certain voice rang in his mind, making Sasuke clench his fists in anger. Naruto looked at Sasuke with a sad expression, and then looked up at the sky to see a hawk flying and heading towards Sasuke's old house, the Uchiha clan main house.

The house was dark, empty, and dusty, like the rest of the district. They entered the mansion quietly. Naruto's attention was on Sasuke, while Sasuke's attention was on everything in the house. ' _Nii-san, you're back!'_ Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration. He started to question why he's here in the first place. This place only brought unpleasant memories back. "I came here often, and I found something that belongs to you." Spoke his blond friend from behind him.

Sasuke turned to Naruto who held a necklace in his hand. A necklace holding the Uchiha crest. Sasuke carefully took the necklace. "My crystal necklace helps me control the Kyuubi, maybe this could help you restrain the lust for blood or something, I honestly don't know." Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

Sasuke's gaze was still on the necklace, "Where exactly did you find it?"

"I don't quiet remember, but I think it was the front porch."

' _Even if you do hate me, I'll always be there for you.'_

"I don't know who it belonged to. . ."

"You're an Uchiha, it belongs to you now."

Silence… This house, this village, these people. . . Sasuke's mind was roaming over everything that happened before.

"The doppelgänger, Shiroi. Her blood is unique. . . You and Sakura warned me from Hotaru and now both of you are friends with her doppelgänger." Sasuke spoke, breaking the silence.

Naruto didn't respond. Instead, he started walking deeper through the house, "Hotaru was evil, Sasuke. You won't believe me, but one day you'll-"

"She's dead."

Naruto stopped in his tracks when he heard Sasuke's tone. It was pure hatred, and sadness, he literally spat the words out his mouth. "And _he_ killed everyone after her death."

"And look what she had done to us. . ." Naruto turned around, but instead of his shinny blue eyes, his eyes were red, "She's dead, but we're alive, and I'm not sitting back and leave you sink in this hatred all by yourself, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes turned crimson, the Sharingan activated, "And what do you know about it? Ha?"

Naruto charged towards Sasuke, both kicking the ground with chakra, it's been forever since the last time they both used chakra; "I know this." Naruto yelled. Their forearms clashed, red eyes vs the Sharingan. They both stayed like this, Sasuke was having an inner struggle. "I do know this, Sasuke." Naruto's voice was softer, "We both know how much it hurts. And I'm not giving up on you."

Sasuke took a step backwards, he deactivated his Sharingan. "What about this?" He opened his mouth to reveal his fangs, "I am a shinobi, but what about living with this?"

"All of us are cursed. Even our friends, they don't remember but I'll bring back their memories. Maybe the curse can't be stopped, or put to an end, but living alone is the real curse." Naruto's eyes were blue again.

The next day at school neither Naruto nor Sasuke came. Shiroi and the girls noticed their absence; they already knew that the boys were friends. Sasuke only talked with Naruto in the whole school. However, after school, the girls went to Sakura's house. They were greeted at the front door by a shrill yapping, and when Sakura opened the door, a very old, very fat Pekingese tried to escape. His name was Yangtze; he nipped at Shiroi's ankle as she went by.

The living room was dim and crowded, with lots of rather fussy furniture and heavy curtains at the windows. Sakura's God-mother was home, Tsuna. Sakura's parents were dead, she lived with her sister, who worked at Konoha's Hospital, her God-mother used to live outside the Land Of Fire, but she decided to pay Sakura a visit.

"Oh, Sakura," she said, "I'm glad you're back. Hello, Shiroi, Hinata."

Shiroi and Hinata bowed their head slightly and said, "Hello, Tsuna-sama."

"What's the matter? You seem tired."

Instead of answering, the old Sanin asked a question, "Last night when you came home so upset, where did you say you girls had been?"

"Down in the- Just down by Anoshka Bridge."

"That's what I thought." She took a breath. "Now, you listen to me, Sakura Haruno. Don't you _ever_ go out there again, and especially not alone and at night. Do you understand?"

"But, why not?" Sakura asked, bewildered.

"Because last night somebody was attacked out there, _right on the bank under the Anoshka Bridge."_

Shiroi and Hinata stared at her in disbelief, and Sakura clutched at Hinata's arm. Before anyone could speak, Sakura's sister, Ayuba, appeared, "Tsuna-sama, there's someone outside who wants to see you."

Once she was gone Sakura asked her sister, "Someone was attacked under the bridge? But who was it? What happened?"

"I don't know. This morning one of the cemetery workers spotted him lying there. He was some homeless person, I guess, and he'd properly been sleeping under the bridge when he was attacked. But he was half dead when they brought him in, and he hasn't regained consciousness yet. He may die."

Shiroi swallowed. "What do you mean _, attacked_?"

"I mean," said Ayuba distinctly, "that his throat was nearly ripped out. He lost an incredible amount of blood. They thought it might have been an animal at first, but now the doctors say it was a person."

"You don't have to scare us anymore," said Sakura faintly. "We get the point, Ayuba."

"All right. Good." Ayoba's shoulders slumped, and rubbed the back of her neck wearily.

"I've got to lie down for a while. I didn't mean to be crabby." She walked out of the living room.

Alone, the girls looked at one another. "Sakura," Shiroi said slowly, "did you see somebody out there? Is that what you meant when you said someone was waiting for me?"

In the dim room, Sakura looked at her blankly, "What are you talking about? I didn't say that."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't. I never said that."

"Sakura," Hinata spoke softly, "we both heard you-"

"I don't know what you're talking about, and I didn't say _anything_." Sakura's face was pinched with anger but there were tears in her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Shiroi and Hinata looked at one another helplessly. Outside, the sun went behind a cloud.


End file.
